WENTZVILLE, Mo. – The Wentzville community is rallying behind a 12-year-old girl when it comes to making her dreams a reality in receiving a life-changing stem cell treatment.
Only on FOX 2 we first brought you Ella Schafluetzel’s story. She was born at 27 weeks and was later diagnosed with periventricular leukomalacia.
Ella’s family was introduced to stem cell study at Duke University, which was nine years ago. The family banked Ella and her brother’s cord blood. However, the two weren’t a match.
Despite not being a match, the family persevered because they wanted to give Ella the world.
“I want her to have everything, just like any parent,” Ashley Schafluetzel, Ella’s mother, said previously.
Ella and her family learned of a stem cell match in September, offering a sense of hope. Ella, alongside friends, rallied a fundraiser through a pink lemonade stand to afford the treatment.
Following the success of Ella’s lemonade stand—garnering the attention of many— the community went into action, turning her fundraiser into a collective effort.
“You always want to help out, and a lot of times, you don’t know what you can do for a family,” said Julie Henrich at Wentzville’s Country Club Car Wash. “But, in this case, this works out perfectly. And we especially like helping local causes and local people.”
Whether it be through a car wash fundraiser or serving up hot dogs, those at Wentzville’s Country Club Car Wash came together to help Ella with her stem cell treatment and other associated expenses.
While Ella greeted those at the car wash, others shared her story, inspiring many.
“I wanted to stop in and show up and see what I could do to be supportive,” said Elijah Clark, a regular at Country Club Car Wash. “Because we never know. It could be one of us or one of our kids.”
Not too far from the car wash is the G.O.A.T. Barber House, specializing in men’s cuts and beard services. The G.O.A.T. Barber House joined forces with the community and other businesses in raising money for Ella.
“My little cousins also had cerebral palsy, so it just inclined me, like we got to do something,” said Jeremy Jameson, who works as a barber at the G.O.A.T. Barber House. “It means a lot to me because now, in this day and age, we don’t have that much sense of community in certain situations. So I think it’s important for us to reestablish that back into our environment.”
The Schafluetzel family says they’re grateful for the community’s support, as Ella will be heading to Duke on Sunday, Oct. 12, to begin her stem cell treatment.
Following that, she will be in physical therapy, which can build her strength to walk. The family, however, is still raising money to help cover other medical expenses, which can be found here.
Happy, nervous, yet hopeful, Ella tells FOX 2 she is ready for this new chapter in her life.
“I would like to say thank you to everyone who has been supporting me throughout this journey,” Ella told FOX 2. “It’s just been amazing.”
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